Shoe former



April 8 1924.

A. A. DURKEE sHoE Forman Filed April '18. 1922 I Patented Aer. 1924.

w L en isen-is ADELBERT A. DURKEE, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

SI-IOE EOEMEE.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555.318.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that l, Annan-nar Dumma,

a subject of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and lreland, resicii o; at Stoneham, in the county of Middle/ser: and State of li/lassachusetts, have invented a new and useful improvement in Shoe Formers.V of Which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a shoe former, adapted to be placed in the shoe after the last has been removed, in order to maintain the shoe in its proper form during the final operations of manufacture.

In shoe manufacturing, after the last has been pulled from thel shoe, the latter is subjected to a number of final operations such as monogrannning, Cleaning, the insertion of sock lining, treeing, repairing, dressing, brushing, etc., Which operations are usually carried on in the treeing and paclring room. These various operations have a tendency to change the form given to the shoe by the last and to destroy its correct-lines and fitting qualities. For instance, the natural reaction of the stock under the finishing processes, especially in a thin-soled shoe. frequently causes the toe of the shoe to turn upivardly, Which result is aggravated by the monogramming and cleaning processes. This spoils the shape and appearance of the shoe. Again, it frequently happens in shoes made from soft leathers that small ivrinlrles appear in the leather, oWing to the fact that it is not supported over a firm Substance or held under tension during the final processes. lt is customary to shrink out these ivrinlrles With a hot iron Which, however, shrinks the leather Without affecting the lining, and thereby causes an objectionable fullness in the latter. In short, these various final processes have the general efiect of distort-V ing the shoe and destroying the correct form given it by the last, so that, When the shoe is packed, its sides are spread apart more or less, giving it an appearance of having been Worn and detracting from its 'attractivenessg to suit varying conditions.

Other objects of the invention Will be more specifically described and pointed out hereinafter.

a former invention contemplates adapted for insertion in a shoe and provided With expanding means, Whereby pressure is exerted longitudinally upon the front and rear portions of the shoe to straighten it and to cause the sides to close in.

Preferably the pressure is e-Xerted in a plane Which passes longitudinally and centrally through the shoe, and is approximately perpendlcular to the sole.

lin its preferred form my invention contemplates a former comprising tivo over-lapping members connected together, but capable of relative sliding movement. one upon the other, With expanding means between; one of said members being adapted to engage the rear portion of the shoe on a central line from the sole to the top of the upper, and the other of said members being adapted to engage the toe and the front of the vamp or upper of the shoe on a central line.

One of the imp rtant features of my invention resides in providing expanding means which is resilient and adjustable, ivhereby the former may be easily adapted to different sizes and kinds of shoes to secure the best results under difierent and varying conditions.

lt is important that the shoe be lrept under the proper tension during the final processes of manufacturing to avoid stretching the leather or Warping the shoe; and since the amount of tension Will vary Within certain limits to conform to varying conditions of stock, it is essential to the securing of satisfactory results thaiJ the expanding means be resilient and adjustable. Furthermore, the provision of such means permits the former to be inserted in and removed from the shoe Without injury thereto, and Without changing or modifying the correctv lines given it by the former.

in the draw'ings illustrating the preferred form'of my mvention, Figure 1 is a side o'n of a formerl constructed and opereleva with my inventi with ioin adoption ment of n intention., there is shown a Which members i :l to

selv moUntoVL 1 nieinl 12; the

ieur portion of the heel nrniber beinghent npn'nrally e doWnwr-crdly to 'torn a heel piec i esirefi. the clown- Wzini loop of t I e fosf *cl 'Jiallf 1 p. iO-JD member lO. 'onglN the loops a right an:

to enciose ru l 'un 1 'td i lifll se ti is free ng'ecti on in 'efl 4 :s the ineinl "hfl mer bq pro- 1 v, 1 With snz'snle sV-jr* tions .20k to (lesignate the proper location of the block 26 for different sizefl shoes; these grsiluationsq, hoveven, to be'besed upon certain normal pressure desire-:h but in flctnel ns-e the pressure may be increased or clecreascd es flosirecl in respectto ertain shoes bV changing the location of the block 26. i

ebnti ijesef/Lis i er 19 imsy be provioeil with i t in. relation to the nrerl to toe iieinber i or other sn' means; having :i down to enclose the heel meni- 1mipose of gniciing it and shoe.

the iii the form the member portion Lill extenrling, having: its lower end on elongetetl loop 'i, inclu-iinpr neniber 10 and the member 1:2; enzl being cnrlerl aboutthe hold the Vainp or eone niein- 'orword position, I provide a inff inonnteo upon the memooo 4-29 obntting; said heinzf;I secnrefl to the s other enlLa The spring' or cone member 4-0 in Vet permits it to be pressure of the spring cunt-inc' the ser Within the shoe.

i Fio'nre 1, have shown :i former ch is aclnotecl for use on Oxford shoes' vi:- in rionre z is llhistratecl an attachment upted to oe inonntetl on the former oi i* ige i, to oclapt it for use on bal or higl es. rfhis is inerelj,7 illustrative, because 1s n-pparent that the former shown in Figre l may be adopted for high shoes, either i:tencling the heel portion 16 and the n member t) npwzirdly to conforin to the configuration the upper part of :i bal shoe, or bf; providing :in extension adopted for attachment thereto. The attachment sho in 9 comprises a member 52, ef-:tz -3 'ling npwarclly :ind then clownword y, sno having :i loop 54 Which acts as a spring,

thetthe end 5G of the member noy be inserco in the front port of the top of the shoe. to ef-rert :in ontvarfl p *essnre there-on. The inemocr may be secnred to the heel piece 16 by plates 58, helcl in engagement W'th the two sides of the heel piece 16 by fr screw 60.

The operati n of my device is extremely simple and is as fo loWs: The block 26 is iir-:cd in position, clopenclent upon the size of the shoe in Which the former is to be plaeedE Which location Will secure a normal pressure upon the shoe in :i longitnclinal (lirect-ion. in order to place the former in the shoe, the finger piece 82 is pnlled back, com- -pressing1 the spring 24, and While in this poi 1,4sa745 its forward position, yet permitting it to retract to a certain extent to conform to the .longitudinal dimension of the shoe and the resistance oifered by the upper portion of rllhe position of the former withthe vamp. in the shoe is shown in Figure 1.

The effect of the former upon the shoe is that of exciting a stretching pressure on both the front and back of the shoe longitudinally, which naturally causes the sides of the shoe to straighten and close inwardly toward each other, thereby narrowing the shoe. rllhe former is inserted in the shoe immediately after it is removed from the last, and is maintained there-in until thel shoe is ready to be packed. As a result of the shoe being under tension during the finishing operations, the necessity of ironing, with the consequent shrinlring and se-a-rng of the pores of the leather, is either entirely obvia-t-ed or greatly reduced. At the same time, the application of the dressing to the shoe while the leather is under the tension of the former, tills the pores of the skin, and after' the former is removed the dressing serves to retain the shoe in its proper form.

To remove the former from the shoe, the member 12 is retracted through the medium of the finger piece 32, which shortens the former and relieves t-he pressure of the spring 50 upon the vamp member 40, whereupon the former may be easily removed from the shoe without Strain, and without disturbing the correct lines of the shoe.

The provision of graduations denot-ing the proper position of the block 26 for each size of shoe is of importance, since it permits the former to be properly adjusted before insortion in the shoe, and thus saves the time which otherwise would be wasted in various experimental adjustments designed to attain the desired pressure.

It will be observed that the adjustable feature of my device gives it a wide range of adaptability, which is a very material consideration VWhen the initial expense of securing an adequate number of devices for a manufacturing business is involved. At the same time, the fact that the device may be made of wire conduces to a low cost, and enables it tobe manufact-ured and sold at a price which will j ustify its use in large quantities.

The advantages attained by the use of my device in the manufacturing and sale of shoes are manifold. It facilitates the handling of the shoe during the final processes; it insures correct and attractive lines in the shoe when presented for sale, and it improres the fitting qualities. The shoe is given long and narrow lines, andthe sides of the shoe hug and fit closely the sides of the foot of the wearer.

It is to be understood thatmy invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment heroin shown and described, as it may be exemplified in various other forms of construction without departing therefrom, all within the scope of the following claims.

V/Tha-t I claim ist- 1. A shoe former having, in combination, a toe member and heel member in overlapping extensible relation, resilient means for holding said two members in extended relation, said means being adjustable to.

regulate the amount of pressure exerted thereby when the former is placed in a shoe, a table of graduations marked on said former for regulating the adjustment of said resilient means, a cone member carried by said toe member and resilient means for holding said cone member in forward position.

A shoe former having, in combination, a toe member and a heel member in overlapping extensible relation, resilient means for holding said two members in extended relation, said means being adjustable to regulate the amount of pressure exerted by said two members when the former is placed in the snoe, a table of graduations marked on said former for regulating the adjustn'iont of said resilient means, a cone member carried by said toe member for engaging the cone of the shoe on a centre line and resilient means for holding said cone member in forward position to exert pressure upon the cone of the shoe.

3. shoe former having, in combination, a toe member and a heel member arranged in interloclred overlaping extensible relation, resilient means for holding said two members in longitudinally extended relation, said means being adjustable to regulate the amount of pressure exerted therebywhen the former is placed in the shoe. a cone member carried by said toe member, and resilient means for holding said cone member in forward position.

41-. A shoe former having, a toe member and a heel member arranged in interloclred overlapping extensible relation, resilient means for holding said two members in longitudinally extended relation, said means being adjustable to regulate the amount of pressure exerted by said two members when the former is placed in the shoe, a cone member carried by said toe member for engaging the cone of the shoe on a centre line and resilient means for holding said cone member in forward position to exe'rt pressure upon the cone of the shoe.

in combination,

5. A shoe former having, in combination7 a toe member and heei member in longitudinally orerlapping extensible relation, resilient means for holding said two members in extended relation, said means being adjustable to regjuiate the amount of pressure exerted thereby When the former is placed in the shoe, a table of gradnations marked on said former for regulating the adjustment of said resilient means, a eone member carried by saidtoe member, and resiiient means for lnfidinnl said cone member in forward position.

6. A shoe former having in combination a toe member adapted to engage the toe of a boot or shoe, a heel member adapted to engage the heel portion of a boot or shoe on a central line from the sole to the top of the upper, resilient means for pressing said toe member and said heel member apart to extend the former, said resilient means beingadjustable for regulating the pressure exerted thereby, means carried by said toe member for engaging the front portion of the upper of the boot or shoe on a central line, and resilient means for holding said last-mentioned means in an advanced position. i

7. A shoe former having, in combination7 two members connected together in overlapping sliding relation and adapted When placed in a shoe to engage the shoe on the centre line at the toe and heel and resilient means for forcing said members apart to exe tend said former and to exert pressure on nosen-eo the shoe longitudinally on a centre line; said resilient means being adjustable for regulating the amount of p essure exerted upon the shoe.

8. A. shoe former having;i in con'ibination, two members loosely connected together in overlapping sliding relation and adapted When placed in the shoe to engage the shoe on its central axis at the heel and toe and fldjnstable resilient means for forcing said members apart in a longitudinal direction tov extend the same and to stretch the shoe longitudinally; said means comprising a spring mounted on one of said members adapted at one end to the other of said members and at its other end to abut a block adjustably arranged on the first of said members.

9. shoe former having, in combination, tWo members connected together in even lapping sliding relation adapted When placed in the shoe to engage the shoe on its longitudinal central aXis, resilient means for forcing said members apart to stretch the shoe longitudinally, said means being adjustable to regulate the pressure exerted by said two members9 a cone member carried by the toe member for engaging the cone of the shoe on a central. line and resilient means for holding said cone member in forward position to enert pressure on the cone of the shoe.

In Witness Whereof9 I hereutto set my hand this seventeenth day of April, 1922.

ADELBERT A. DURIEE. 

